How to Decorate a Newly Built Craftsman-Style Home

Craftsman style is simple, unadorned and useful.

The Craftsman architectural movement hit its stride in America at the beginning of the 20th century. Based on the Arts and Crafts Movement popular in Britain at the time, Craftsman homes were the antithesis of the highly embellished Victorian designs that flooded the market in the mid-to-late 1800s. Pioneered by Gustav Stickley, a Craftsman home is simple, constructed of wood and stone, brick and glass, and reflects the natural environment. The low roofline unites the house with its land, and prominent front pillars anchor a welcoming porch. You can coordinate the new with the old when decorating a Craftsman home by using a simplistic design incorporating useful and individually beautiful pieces.

Colors

Earth tones are prominent in Craftsman-style homes. The brown of the earth, shades of green, ocean blue, the yellow of sunlight and the blazing orange of sunset are tones to surround yourself with. Look to lighter and darker shades of each color to avoid a heavy environment. Including a neutral color with an undertone of blue or green ties your color scheme together.

Flooring

A Craftsman-style home has stone, wood or natural fiber floors, including cork and bamboo. Highly polished and standing alone as a decorating element, the floor becomes an introduction to the earth-toned environment. Hooked area rugs are remembrances of the past, and sculpted, monochromatic rugs keep your rooms unadorned. A tiled mosaic in the entryway is reflective of Craftsman design.

Furniture

While your home may be new, its furnishings can stretch back in history. Scour local antique and thrift shops for the straight lines found in Shaker, Stickley and Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired designs. Don’t overload your home with brown oak furniture. Instead, surround the heavier-looking pieces with painted furniture for a lighter feel. Built-in seating and cabinetry with multipane glass panel fronts are marks of Craftsman design, all with natural wood featuring little detail.

Lighting

Keep your lighting unadorned, with the exception of straight-lined, Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired stained glass reproductions. Lean toward the utilitarian in your lighting designs, with metals such as copper and iron as your most common frames. Milk glass and colored opaque glass shades are marks of the Craftsman period.

Accessories

Think vintage. A wooden porch swing, hand-hewn wood front doors and terra cotta pots welcome visitors to a Craftsman home. Iron and metal are abundant in accessories, including heating grates and switch plates. Don’t forget your roots when looking for accessories. Sepia-toned family photos framed in wood, keepsakes that are enlarged and placed in a shadowbox, and even your great-grandfather’s name in his ship’s manifest when he came to America are parts of our heritage that shine in a Craftsman home.

About the Author

Jann Seal is published in magazines throughout the country and is noted for her design and decor articles and celebrity *in-home* interviews. An English degree from the University of Maryland and extensive travels and relocations to other countries have added to her decorating insight.